Old dog and tooth extraction

[SmokenMirrors]

This morning my 13 year old Mal/GSD went in for a routine teeth cleaning and the vet found a tooth that was fractured and broken so she had to pull it. While cleaning she also found a small mass on his lip on the inside so she took that too and is sending it off to be biopsied.

My question is, once I got him home he seemed to settle down some but now that he is a bit more alert so to speak, he is pacing. He paces and paces and paces then when it seems his hips just can't take the strain he lays down and sleeps for a bit then up and the pacing begins, and he will pacy for over an hour or so at a time. He has been doing this all day and I am concerned now because of the hip dysplasia that he has, this really is not good for him and he normally will sleep much of the day away.

I tried to call my vet but they do not have an emergency number. I could possibly call my large animal vet who god love them, would probably understand once I told them my problem but I don't want to do that unless there is no other option. I called the 24hr emergency vet an hour away that some go to in our area and they were less than helpful over the phone and refused to talk to me about anything to give him. I did remember that one time he was restless so I gave him a 25mg benadryl to calm him and that seemed to help so I did that again this time.

Currently he is now laying near me half asleep. Were staying quiet in the house so he doesn't get up and begin the pacing. Has anyone else had this? Is this normal? I fly to TX Thursday and it really makes me ill I am leaving him like this....*sigh* This really sucks!!

[Horsegal984]

Normal- no not really, but totally not out of the ordinary. Some dogs are very sensitive to narcotics used as pre-anesthetics. Side effects often include hyperactivity, panting, restlessness, and hypersensitivity to light and noise.

The good news is that this will wear off and be out of their system within 24 hours. If he's still acting abnormally in the morning call your regular vet back, but I'm pretty confident he will be back to his usual self.

The thing about calling the emergency clinic is that unfortunatly because they have never seen your dog they can't reccomend giving more meds, and since they don't know what he got they don't know what will 'reverse' it so to speak. Since there are really no overthecounter meds for dogs, anything they reccomended they could potentially be sued over, because in order to 'prescribe' meds they have to have seen your dog in the last year. Having worked in emergency medicine, we really do hate not being able to tell you about simple things to do at home, like giving benadryl tfor allregic reactions. But we also know if we tell you to give it and your dog doesn't respond and dies from anaphalyxis we will lose our jobs, and our clinic can be in a whole lot of legal trouble. So while it's very fustrating, don't be too hard on them, they hate the laws too!

Katherine
Vet Tech

[Horsegal984]

Oh, and if they gave you any Tramadol for pain I would hold off on giving it until you talk to them in the AM, since it is a type of narcotic it could make his symptoms worse.

If he's not on anything at all for pain I would ask them about some Rimadyl/Deramaxx/Prevacox for post op pain and any pain in his hips for pacing all night.

Katherine
Vet Tech

[SmokenMirrors]

I understand the ramifications of todays sue happy world. However, the poor thing is in pain, this is very hard on those old hips of his and being in the medical field myself and at any given time be sued for trying to help some human, I see your point. I just wanted to know if the benadryl will work is all. Watching him now I see he is really hesitant to put his mouth down, I am sure it is the pain from the extracted tooth so in worrying about that he isn't relaxing like he should.

[Horsegal984]

Benadryl in dogs is dosed at 1mg/kg. ;) however its drowisness effects are much more varied, some dogs it does make sleepy, but most it doesn't.

[kdow]

I understand the ramifications of todays sue happy world. However, the poor thing is in pain, this is very hard on those old hips of his and being in the medical field myself and at any given time be sued for trying to help some human, I see your point. I just wanted to know if the benadryl will work is all. Watching him now I see he is really hesitant to put his mouth down, I am sure it is the pain from the extracted tooth so in worrying about that he isn't relaxing like he should.

Not so much help tonight, but my aunt had an older rescue who needed major dental work done (including bone grafts) and she said he was quite bad/agitated the first night, but seemed to feel much better by the next day. So there's probably light at the end of the tunnel.

(Thinking back to having my wisdom teeth removed, if it was my dog I might try and see how he tolerated an ice pack.)

[SmokenMirrors]

Thank you Kdow but at the moment, Rocky just will not let me mess with that side of his mouth and I can't say as if I blame him any. When I had my wisdom teeth pulled, all 4, I was in a lot of pain once the numbness wore off.

At least at the moment he is FINALLY resting some, and has been for the past 1/2 hour or so. I am sitting on the couch watching him so hopefully all will be well by morning.

He is such a very special dog and as a good friend said, he has given me some really wonderful years but I need to keep in mind, he IS 13 and is like many old animals, he hurts and has aches and pains.

[EponaRoan]

My ancient Bulldog was 14 or so when he had all his remaining teeth extracted. I remember him wanting to pace, but one of my GSDs (he was super nurturing and empathetic to the sick ) lay in front of the bathroom door and wouldn't let him come out that evening. Poor guy - he was sore for a few days, but graduated to being able to eat kibble with water added and lived until he was almost 16.

If you have a crate, perhaps that would work for him? Or gating/blocking him into a small bathroom?

[SmokenMirrors]

Took Rocky back to the vet at 02:00 this morning and he checked him over, listened to his heart, checked his pulse, gum color and everything. Said that he believes he is pacing from the pain so he gave him a small dose of morphine, calmed him right down, got him back home, he slept for about 2 hours and is now up and pacing again.....

The vet also gave me a pain medication for him and said if he starts pacing again give him one, I can give him one up to 3 times a day so...hopefully this will work but I am not hopeful at this point. I am worn out, I am in tears, and I have my grand daughter to watch today for 12 hours and I myself have had little sleep at all.

The husband, knowing I took him to the vet this morning, only asked if I did take him and I muttered yea. Did he ask what the vet said? Hell no. Out the door he goes to his important meeting and will be gone for about as long as I have our grand daughter. I am very tempted to let my son Drew stay home today to help as I am on fumes right now. Suppose to fly to TX tomorrow and with him being this way, there is no way I am leaving him alone with our neighbor watching him. It is how do I tell my husband I will not go and not have him blow up????

[Thomas_1]

Sounds to me like it's your husband that's the root cause of your problem.

The dog sounds a delight compared to your husband. Perhaps you could tell your husband that you prefer the company of your dog and it's obvious he needs you more.

Sounds like he's (the dog!) needing good analgesia and some comforting and tender loving care.

p.s. I'll never make a marriage guidance counsellor ! Though I have just had my 37th wedding anniversary and I know damned well that Sue would have booted my boney ass out long ago if I'd shown such scant disregard for her or her dogs..... Should probably have re-ordered that as her dogs come first ;)

[SmokenMirrors]

Thanks Thomas for the laugh...remind me one day to tell you how it is when we show...seriously, he isn't a bad guy, I just think he isn't as close to our pets as I am. Rocky was a rescue, severely beaten, starved, abandoned and I took him and rehabbed him then kept him as he bonded with me and here he stays.

The vet is coming out to the house this morning to give him an I.V. injection of valium then leave me a prescription for it to go get later on in the day. He HAS to calm down, his hips are not going to take much more abuse, as if he stands he begins to cant to the side and would eventually collapse if he didn't move. He is already limping on one side now, panting heavy still....

I can't remember the last time I cried this much. My daughter was nice enough to call her mother in law to take the grand daughter, so one less thing I have to worry about at the moment. Here's hoping the drugs do what they are suppose to do and with the pain meds he just took, with a piece of pizza as there was nothing else he was going to eat, he can finally calm down and I can get him to sleep longer than a half hour to an hour then pace for two or three hours.

[Thomas_1]

Thanks Thomas for the laugh...remind me one day to tell you how it is when we show...seriously, he isn't a bad guy, I just think he isn't as close to our pets as I am. Rocky was a rescue, severely beaten, starved, abandoned and I took him and rehabbed him then kept him as he bonded with me and here he stays.

The vet is coming out to the house this morning to give him an I.V. injection of valium then leave me a prescription for it to go get later on in the day. He HAS to calm down, his hips are not going to take much more abuse, as if he stands he begins to cant to the side and would eventually collapse if he didn't move. He is already limping on one side now, panting heavy still.... Enough about your husband.... What I want to know is how's the dog? :winkgrin:

Here's hoping the drugs do what they are suppose to do and with the pain meds he just took, with a piece of pizza as there was nothing else he was going to eat, he can finally calm down and I can get him to sleep longer than a half hour to an hour then pace for two or three hours. It's dreadful to see an elderly dog in pain. I do hope you can get him settled. We always give our tablets wrapped up in butter. Just slips down! Easy peasy!!

[Ben and Me]

The vet also gave me a pain medication for him and said if he starts pacing again give him one, I can give him one up to 3 times a day so...

What pain med did the vet give? If it is Tramadol, it can often cause drowsiness as a side-effect. May not be such a bad thing to get him to relax a bit. Hope the vet's visit went well this morning and that he's feeling better!

[SmokenMirrors]

Vet just came and gave him a shot of valium...he is now laying down but fighting the effects of it on him. Panting, whining now and then, and I know he just doesn't understand what were trying to do, get him to lay down, relax and get some much needed sleep. I closed one of the blinds in the living room to give him less light, hoping that may help him but so far no....

I just don't know what else to do. Bugged the vet, got a prescription for the valium, he has had his pain meds, not due for another one for at least an hour, petted him, talked to him, tried to calm him down and nothing works.

I just want my gentle kind old dog back, not this poor pitiful creature who has me in tears and whines and paces and refuses any comforting.

[EponaRoan]

Poor guy. How about a pain patch for him? I think they're fentanyl.

http://www.2ndchance.info/pain.htm

If you're upset (& I know it's hard not to be), he's probably feeding off that ...

[SmokenMirrors]

Rocky finally settled down enough to sleep longer than a half hour to an hour like he was. He isn't whining and I am hopeful that this is going to work. He does get up and walk around then lay back down so we will see. Soon as my son gets home from school I will run into town and get his prescription so I can give him one tonight just before he eats.

I gave him some beef broth with a bit of noodles in it, he drank all the broth and age some of the noodles and tonight I will grind up a chicken breast for him with some brown rice, that should be good for his stomach.

While the vet was here, I asked about if he could do more damage to his hips by pacing so much this past 24hrs. She said that no but it will make them more sore and that can compound his anxiety and reluctance to lay down. The pads she said are a good idea but he won't lay on them so I am just letting him be for now and not pester or stand over him. I am trying to be calm with him, talk in a soothing manner and not show how worried I am.